Changes
by FragmentedLights
Summary: [FemNaruto] [NaruSasu/SasuNaru] When Naruto's parents die from a suspicious joint suicide, she must leave the bustling city life behind as she moves to a small country town known as Konoha with her grandfather, Jiraiya. Amidst many faces, new and old, Naruto meets her childhood friends. Believing maybe she can have a normal high school life, she's sadly very mistaken.
1. Packing Up

**Chapter I: Packing Up**

Uzumaki Naruto's bright blue eyes trailed around her room helplessly. The once lively, cluttered bedroom was now reduced to blank orange walls and a mass of cardboard boxes. That was her life, she thought, and it had managed to be compacted into flimsy cubes. Even the walls, which were the brightest fiery orange you could find (unless you actually set the walls on fire), seemed lifeless and dull without the posters and photographs that had speckled it.

An overwhelming emotion took over her entire mind. _Lost, _she thought, _I am lost. _Though she knew exactly where she was, she felt as if she was in some foreign land. Her life was being stripped from her, and replaced with a stranger's. Naruto's life was filled with fights and city lights and her parents, the only people who understood and accepted her.

Now they were all gone.

Her parents, Kushina and Minato, had passed away. Her throat clogged up at the thought and her eyes stung violently. Roughly, she yanked her sunset-coloured hoodie sleeve and rubbed her eyes. The Uzumaki couple had died, a suicide according to the authorities, in the lounge of the very apartment Naruto was sitting in. Adding to the choking sounds emitting from her cracked lips and the struggling battle of holding in her tears, there was an inner war.

Her gut screamed that it was most certainly _not _a suicide. Yes, her parents had been found hanging from the beam (a guttural sound clawed its way through her throat) in the living room. Naruto's instincts seemed to know better. For instance, it was completely and utterly out of character. Her mother, Kushina, though she was a loud, confident person with extremely 'colourful' language, she was also happy and loving. Minato was more refined, but was completely devoted to his family. They both adored Naruto, as they reminded her every morning and night before their deaths, and were as hopelessly in love as they were the day they met.

They hadn't even left a note.

Yet her mind tried to reason with her, say that it couldn't have been anything else. The FBI had scanned the _entire _building for anything suspicious. They were unsuccessful. Not even an unusual fingerprint in the house. It _must _have been suicide.

And while this battle went on, her heart ached with every beat and hopelessness took over her mind. The doorbell's chime rang through the empty, packed up apartment. That must've been Jiraiya. He was her new carer. She had met him before, and she was fond of him when she was younger, but she could barely remember him now. Not even remember the rumbles of his voice. Dizzily, she got to her feet and walked out of her bedroom.

The crime scene tape was long gone, the case pushed aside to deal with more 'serious' crimes. The only reason it was not completely dropped as a suicide was because of Naruto's insistence. Almost as if she was floating through the hallway, trying to avoid the living room, she reached the red door that welcomed people into their home. Or should she say, the apartment? Because, as of today, the apartment was for sale and it stopped being a home the moment her parents breathed their last breaths here.

Naruto's tanned hand trembled as she fumbled with the keys that she'd have to return today. Eventually, the door swung open to reveal a bear of a man. His hair was almost unnaturally white, incredibly wild and spiky, and very long. Held back by a rubber band, large eyes looked down to her from a face painted with stripes. His clothes were odd, tunic and sandals, but as soon as her sapphire orbs met his eyes, recognition and love, even, hit her like a ton of bricks.

Of _course _she remembered him! How could she forget? Tears broke through the barrier and she sobbed into his chest as warm arms wordlessly wrapped around her in a comforting, protective and wonderfully familiar embrace. In the numbness and pain of the recent events, and with the business of her small family's life before then, Naruto had stopped visiting her godfather – her grandfather – and even stopped writing to him. She was so busy with school, work… everything.

But that would change now.

Now that he was the only thing she had.

"I'm so sorry," she hicced into his warm chest. The dull thumping of his heart soothed her like a calming lullaby.

A rumbling laugh shook his chest gently as Naruto snuggled against it for comfort. The tears ceased, but she kept hiccuping. "What have ya got to be sorry about, squirt?" He ruffled her blonde hair under his wrinkled hand. "Come on, I'll help you with the boxes and then we can go to Konoha." Naruto nodded mutely.

Naruto packed the last remnants away, sealed the boxes and scribbled in her unjoined handwriting where the contents belonged. Then it was up to Jiraiya to do the heavy lifting and take it down to the huge Jeep that awaited them. As Jiraiya took the box of kitchen supplies, Naruto studied herself in her reflection.

She was a wreck.

Her bright azure eyes were rimmed by deep red marks, her blond-ish eyelashes still dotted with crystal clear droplets, not to mention deep lilac shadows under her eyes. Her blonde hair was up in her usual two ponytails, but they were havoc. Frizzy, messy and out of control. Her tanned baby face looked gaunt from lack of food, her cheekbones hollow and her lips cracked and dry. Not to mention the fox whiskers. They were ingrained into her skin, several lines for each dash across her cheeks. Birthmarks.

She stroked them idly, a memory appearing from nowhere.

_Naruto pushed through the crimson red door miserably, her eyes still burning and gushing tears; her cheeks were still the ashamed and embarrassed pink. The cold autumn outside had added to the flush. Her school uniform clung to her as she clutched her rucksack to her chest._

_She was eleven years old and it was her first day at her school._

_Barging through the house, quietly crying without making a peep, she heard her mother's lovely voice call out: "Naruto? Is that you? Welcome home! How was your day?" but as Naruto was too distressed to answer, and on normal days Naruto came crashing into the kitchen and blabbing about every detail of the day, her mother must've known something was off. _

_A gentle knocking rapped at the soft wood of Naruto's door. Posters of several KPop bands and Japanese singers Naruto had found out about covered the door from head-to-foot on her side of the door._

_"Naruto? Are you okay?" Kushina's voice was soft now, gentle._

_"Go away!" Naruto yelled, her voice catching on the 'away' and she sniffled._

_Naruto almost drowned in the motherly concerned aura that poured out of Kushina. Not to mention the sudden anger. Though Kushina was rarely angry with Naruto, she still thought it was directed at her for yelling._

_"Naruto, please let me in." Naruto hesitated. _

_"The door's open," she replied quietly, still clutching onto the bright orange rucksack._

_Kushina's dark blue eyes flashed when she saw her young daughter's state. Her flaming red hair splayed out behind her as she sped towards Naruto, wrapping her in a warm hug. "Honey! Tell me what's wrong?" It was a command and a gentle push at the same time._

_Only her mother could do that._

_Naruto rubbed her nose and nodded. "A-At school I was r-really happy, I felt so grown up," the young blonde gave a nervous laugh. She wasn't one to giggle – unlike her peers. "And I was put into my class… but e-everyone started t-to call me names."_

_"Why? What kind of names?" Kushina pressed, stroking a spiky lock out of Naruto's round, fox-like face. The tanned button nose wrinkled as she sniffed again. Kushina seemed to be almost glowing with rage. Naruto knew how protective her mother was – especially about her only child._

_"Making fun of my whiskers," Naruto whispered. As she said this, Kushina stroked the offending details gently and kissed her on the forehead. "They called me Fox Freak and Whisker Girl, and laughed and pointed and asked if I ate the rubbish like real foxes do." Naruto whimpered._

_One dark blue eye twitched as a door opened. Minato's voice came echoing through the small apartment. "Hello, I'm home!" His voice was cheery and he opened the ajar door to peer inside curiously. He saw Kushina and Naruto in an embrace and smiled brightly, until he saw his wife's murderously enraged expression and his daughter's tears._

_"Oh no," was all he had time to say before Kushina bombarded him._

_"Naruto's been bullied! Because of her whiskers! I'm going to march down to their houses and I'm gonna shatter their doors into splinters, then I'm gonna wring the little bastards' necks!" She roared, clenching her fists. Naruto watched in shock, her eyes widening._

_Minato attempted to calm down Kushina. "Language, Kush!" He scolded, shooting a glance at Naruto, who quirked her head. "The best way to solve this is-"_

_"Let Naruto hear all the 'colourful' language she wants! I hope she repeats it to those sons of bitches." She turned to Naruto and crouched down, an eerily cheery smile stretching her entire face upwards, her eyes shut happily. "Now Naruto, next time they call you a mean name, punch them in the face," she said sweetly._

_"Okay," Naruto obeyed immediately. Mother knew best, after all. She nodded and wiped her nose again._

_"No wait!" Minato's expression was shock and he laughed nervously. "Naruto, your mother was only joking. You can't solve anything with violence," he smiled. "Just go to the head teacher, and they'll sort it out, okay?"_

_"Okay," Naruto nodded once more._

_"Are you insane?" Kushina demanded. "Since when has that genius idea ever worked in the past? I remember when I was younger, when I got called Tomato and other stuff, I went to the head teacher, who stood up in front of my _whole class _and told them to start treating me nicely because I was 'very affected by the situation'." The redheaded woman frowned. "So, of course, as soon as the woman's back was turned, the bullying got worse. Until I gave someone a black eye that is," the face shifted to bright once more. "Then they all left me alone."_

_"But times have changed, Kush!" The blonde male protested. Naruto's head followed their conversation like a tennis match._

_"Not things like that, Minato," her mother sighed. "I just want Naruto to not get hurt like this. It's her first day and she comes back crying!" Minato looked at Naruto, who finally stopped crying, and let out a deep sigh._

_"Okay, Naruto, next time anyone threatens you, hurts you or calls you anything really nasty, please-"_

_"Hit them." Kushina finished, grinning broadly._

_"Tell an adult first," Minato compromised. "If it doesn't get any better, do what you must," he sighed, rubbing the space between his eyes as if he was getting a migraine and came down to hug her. "I don't want you getting hurt, emotionally or otherwise," he murmured into her ear._

_"For the record, I think your whiskers are really cool," beamed Kushina. Naruto perked up as Minato pulled away._

_"Really?"_

_"Yep! Makes you look like a cool Neko or fox. Which reminds me of a fairytale I once heard about a nine-tailed fox demon," the redheaded woman shot a knowing look to Minato, who grinned in response._

_"The character was remarkably like you, Kush. Kinda terrifying. Thought I was married to a demon."_

_"You are."_

Naruto smiled weakly at her reflection. The banter had continued until Naruto had felt brilliant and since then, Naruto beat up any kid who even thought about calling her a bin-raider or a freak. She was a loner with no friends, but at least she never got bullied anymore. A few days after Naruto's first day, her mother and father bought her a present: a bright orange nine-tailed fox plush. Naruto adored it as soon as she laid eyes on it – orange was her favourite colour, after all! – and named it Kyuubi. Kyuubi was her fluffy companion till she was thirteen, when she left it down in Konoha one summer. She was so sad afterwards, she actually cried.

A lot.

More than she cared to admit, really.

Naruto was laughing softly now, though it wasn't really a happy laugh. It was a remininiscent, get-more-happy laugh.

She scanned her clothes, which didn't really help her whole messy look. An oversized pull-over orange (she really liked orange) hoodie with the letters NU in deep navy was crinkled from sleep and underneath the worn thing was a white t-shirt with bold black letters stating one word: FOXY. Faded blue jeans were ripped in strategic places and black converse covered orange fluffy socks.

She snapped out of her self-examination as she was called down to Jiraiya's jeep.

She ran, still clutching the bronze keys (after heavy depersonalisation) and one box. It was scrawled with MEMORIES. She dropped the keys into a ceramic bowl by the landowner's desk and rushed to the door.

The Jeep was dark grey, with chipped paint and thick wheels. It was ancient, huge and very much Naruto's thing. She grinned easily when she saw it, though her face was stiff from lack of smiling (that actually did happen, can you believe it?) and stuffed the box into the back seat of the car.

She snuggled into the beige seats, inhaling the scent of tobacco, peppermint and the natural musky scent of her grandfather. The old radio had one channel, which was a bunch of oldie songs. Jiraiya eased in beside her, after slamming the boot shut, and closed the doors. After asking if the radio's channel bothered her, she shook her head, and they began the journey to her new home.

With the window cracked open, Elvie Presley blaring and the air becoming clearer and clearer as they left the city behind, Naruto started wondering if maybe this move wouldn't be quite as bad as she thought it would be.


	2. Back to Konoha

**Chapter II: Back to Konoha**

**Disclaimer: [Forgot to put it there before, woops!] Naruto does not belong to me. (Yet... :])**

**A/N: Everytime I see a review, favourite or follow, my heart just glows [literally. It's got doctors worried all over the world] and my readers are one of my biggest inspirations 3 You guys rock :]**

As the grey cement kingdom faded away to a splodge in the mirror, Naruto took a deep breath. Instead of inhaling scents of petrol, strangers' perfume and the scent of pigeons (Naruto hated those bloody pigeons), she could smell sunflowers, grass and the sea. She sighed. It was a pleasant, familiar smell that brought back memories of trips when she was younger. She must've relaxed visibly because Jiraiya shot her a smile.

On these abandoned roads, passing a car was a rarity, so her grandfather could risk his chances by smiling at her. The thick wheels crunched on the road as it slowly and gradually melded into gravel pebals. Naruto's eyes became half-lidded just as the first buildings came into view, and she jolted back to full wake.

The houses were like large cottages and she could easily recognise everyone who was going about their daily business. There was Mrs. Haruno, doing her laundry out in the sun. As the Jeep rolled past, Jiraiya lowered the window and caught the woman's attention. She smiled and waved until her eyes landed on Naruto. The green orbs widened and Jiraiya laughed as they drove through. It seemed that the borders had more rural estates, because they slowly became more modern. It was much busier here, though nothing like the frantic streets of the city.

Already, eyes were staring at the Jeep. Naruto's cheeks flamed and she sank deeper into the leather. "Word got round quick," she grumbled.

"That's ol' Haruno for ya," Jiraiya winked. "Word of warning, gossipin' runs through the family." Naruto rolled her eyes and ignored his rambling until they pulled up in front of a reasonably large house – it was certainly for someone more upperclass.

"Woah," Naruto gasped, "How did you afford _this_?!"

Jiraiya grinned and mocked hurt. "How could you forget about my writing?"

"Oh yeah," Naruto murmured, a dazed look sneaking into her eyes. "I remember dad telling me about them. 'Make Out Paradise' or some shit like that, right?"

Jiraiya didn't bother scolding her on language – he was hardly a saint himself. Especially when he was a writer of erotica, Naruto thought. "Looks like you got your saintly tongue from your mother," her grandfather muttered. The offhand comment sent a pang through Naruto and she immediately felt like curling up into the fetal position. He looked at her with sad eyes and apologized. She shook her head.

"Going to have to get used to it, aren't I?" she murmured. Jiraiya placed a large hand on her small shoulder and she sighed.

"You're going to be okay, kiddo," he said. "Do you know why?"

"Why?" She looked up at him, having to crane her neck. He grinned.

"Because you're a fighter." He replied, ruffling her hair once more. She smiled slightly and snuggled into his shoulder.

"Thanks, gramps," Naruto sighed.

"Come on, squirt, time to get into the actual house." He grinned and poked her side. He opened the door, which screamed in protest after a lot of kicking, and ran over to Naruto's side. After the same strenuous task of opening the door, Naruto climbed out. "You run in side, I'll take the boxes. Your room's the third one on the right." He waved his hand and Naruto nodded.

Wandering up the fine gravel path, the scent of sunflowers was still present. It was such a pleasant smell. The grass was emerald green and wild, but not too wild. Unlike the overgrown dark masses covered in dog mess back in the city. She liked this a lot better. A gentle breeze ruffled her hair as she moved and she came to a white door that was mostly stained glass. Every colour was displayed, taking the light and fracturing it into a rainbow which danced on the porch and inside.

It caught on her skin and she watched in fascination. The closest she'd seen to a rainbow was a puddle of oil in the midday sun. Snapping out of her colour-induced trance, she pushed open the door, sending the shards dancing everywhere. There was a scent of pine here, and the hallway she walked into was narrow and painted white. The rainbow worked perfectly with the lack of colour. Instead of doors, there was large archways opening to rooms. It felt so open.

The floor beneath her feet was cool, beige wood. She kicked off her converse and placed them where Jiraiya had so kindly put a sign saying: _take off your shoes and place them here or face untimely death._ She shuffled through the hallway in her fuzzy socks, not bothering to poke her head in through the archways. She was gonna live here, she'd have plenty of time to go adventuring. When she got to the archway that led into her room, she saw there was a door too. At least she'd have _some _privacy.

Placing her hand on the cool black metal of the door handle, she braced herself for the worst. Pulling the handle and shoving the door open, she scrunched up her eyes. Popping one eye open, she stared.

The walls were bright orange – even brighter than back home – and the wall directly in front of her was replaced with huge windows, from floor to ceiling, revealing a view of a pine forest and endless blue sky. The floor was a darker oak than the hallway and the scent of pine was weaker here. A queen-sized bed sat propped against the left wall, black silk sheets covering it decorated with fiery rose outlines. A chest of drawers sat at the bottom of the bed. A fluffy carpet the colour of sunset was placed in the middle.

Then her eyes landed on the nine-tailed fox plush on the bed. "No… way…!" She yelled, pouncing on the bed. Some form of the old her – overly loud, extremely bold and childish – reappeared, brushing the surface as she clutched onto the plushie. A squeal escaped her lips as she curled up into a fetal position on the bed, inhaling the scent of her family, of the memories. As she laughed into the soft velvet, tears poured out, choking her laughter and turning them into half-sobs.

"I see you found the plush!" Jiraiya's happy voice beamed and echoed in the spacious room. Naruto laughed and nodded, her voice choking. His smile faltered and he wrapped her in a hug again.

"You don't need to hug me every time you see me cry, gramps," Naruto sighed into his chest. "I'm a big girl. I can handle the tears."

"I know." Jiraiya grinned and pulled away. "Trust me, I know more than anyone." He ruffled her hair again, causing her to wonder if that was going to become a habit. "It's just so good to be able to hug you again, Naruto, I've missed you."

"I missed you too, gramps," she replied quietly.

"Now, why don't you unpack?" Jiraiya smiled. "I've got some, uh, _research _to do." He winked and Naruto got a sudden idea of what his 'research' would be. He was an erotica writer… She finally put two and two together as he was sauntering out and dashed after him, clipping him on the back of the head furiously.

"Pervert!" She scolded him loudly.

"It's _research_!" He protested, defending himself. "I need to be an expert in female beauty if I want my books to be best-sellers!"

"Well, in that case, you can research with my blessing." Naruto said nonchalantly, an evil thought lurking in her mind, pushing the grief to the side.

"Really?" Jiraiya asked happily. "Wait, hold on, I don't need your bless-"

"But on one condition. You need to research everything you don't already know…" Naruto's eyes glittered mischeviously. Jiraiya eyed her curiously.

"And what would that be? I know everything there is to know about female beauty," her guardian said, emitting a superior air.

"Oh, I bet you do," Naruto grinned wickedly. "But I bet you don't know that much about _male _beauty."

The old bear of a man's face paled.

"_What?_"

"You can go 'research' as long as you 'research' male beauty. If it's just research, then you should have no problem, eh? It's for the future of your writing, after all," Naruto shrugged. Jiraiya's coal black eyes became as wide and saucers before narrowing.

"I don't need your permission, squirt." He turned around again.

"I wonder how Granny Tsunade would feel about this 'research'." Naruto pondered aloud, feigning innocence. Jiraiya froze in his confident strides, almost seeming to vibrate with anxiety.

"You wouldn't."

"I would, old man."

"Looks like today's a writing day for me," Jiraiya stretched and scratched his head, leaving without a second glance. Naruto frowned. She burst out in laughter a few moments later. A sweet sense of victory and love kept grief at bay as she sighed and fell back onto the bed. It was incredibly soft, as if she was falling asleep on the sky, it molded so perfectly to her skin.

Her eyes became as heavy as bricks as she dozed off, wandering into the realm of dreams.

_A sixteen year old blonde wanders through the dark mist. Her bright blue eyes scan around, a white dress dangling off her, shimmering and fluttering in the non-existent wind. Her hair isn't tied up like normally, but falls free and floats around her face. Suddenly, an image comes clear._

_Her mother and father sit joking and laughing, bantering and teasing eachother as they so often do. The girl grins and runs towards her parents, who beckon her with pale and tanned hands alike. She falls into their embrace, weeping with joy._

"_I thought you were gone forever!" She says, relief flowing through her words. _

"_We missed you," they murmur to her, burrowing their heads in her hair._

"_I missed you too," she sobs back, but their holds tighten. At first, it's comforting. But soon their nails dig into the fabric, clawing at her skin. Their holds become stone-like and merciless. Her lungs struggle to collect enough oxygen and she gasps. "W-What are you d-doing?" She chokes out. "I-I can't breathe…"_

"_Don't lie to us," they speak again. _

"_I'm not lying! I swear!"_

"_If you missed us, you wouldn't let us get hurt like this. You would protect us." Their voices are an eerie monotone, working simultaneously. Their holds are relentless and Naruto Uzumaki forces herself away, her dress ripping. Her parents' eyes are empty. Cold. Unforgiving._

"_I tried! I tried so hard!" Naruto sobs, her eyes burning like fire. "I…I'm sorry!"_

"_You failed us." They speak again. Their bodies begin fading from view, disappearing around her. Their eyes stay clear, the betrayal slicing into Naruto's heart like a sharpened blade._

"_Please! Forgive me!" She begs. Anything to get her parents back._

"_How can we? You failed us." Their eyes fade too, leaving her with nothing but mist._

_A rope tightens behind her and her stomach roils. No, nothing like this. She can't turn around. She knows what waits for her. Yet, no matter how much she tries to stop, she finds her body turning of its own accord. _

_At first her mind doesn't recognize the scene before her. Then it hits her with an astounding impact. She falls to her knees, dry-heaving, as her parents are suspended from the invisible ceiling. Lifeless orbs stare at Naruto as she looks up. Mouths hang open, asking an eternal question._

_**Why didn't you save us?**_

Naruto woke up with a scream, her throat becoming hoarse. Her body shook violently as she balled a fist and shoved it against her mouth as she sobbed silently. What little she had to eat was making its steady journey back up.

The door slammed open, which Naruto didn't expect, and her new guardian looked at her before engulfing her in a hug. She didn't say anything. He didn't either. She sat there and sobbed and he pulled back her hair as she heaved into a bowl. "You're alright, kiddo." He comforted her. "Wanna sleep in my room today?"

She shook her head. She wasn't a weakling. She could survive this on her own. She was strong. And she would prove it. He gave her one last glance and left the room without a word.

Naruto curled up under the black silk sheets, clutching onto the fox as if it was the only thing keeping her sane.

It probably was.


End file.
